Chamber chairman quits, criticizes group's president

Disagreement leads to departure

Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman Terry Trotochaud stepped down from his post Tuesday, saying he doesn't agree with the management of chamber President Larry McKinney.

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Trotochaud has served on the chamber's board of directors for four years and as the chairman for a year.

His resignation was effective immediately and tendered with little explanation.

"I do not agree with Larry McKinney's management of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce," Trotochaud wrote. "Therefore, effective immediately, I resign as chairman of the board."

The gesture is somewhat symbolic since Trotochaud would have completed his term at the end of the year and Eduardo Noriega, regional manager of the Atlanta Gas Light Co., has already been picked to take the chairman's seat.

Trotochaud wouldn't elaborate on his reasons for resigning, but said his displeasure with McKinney's leadership has nothing to do with recent political activism on the part of the chamber.

Since McKinney was hired in February, the chamber has taken a more active role in local politics, criticizing local government decisions that chamber leaders consider unfriendly to business and campaigning for candidates that share their views.

A chamber committee scored Athens-Clarke County commissioners' voting records and published a report card for each, giving all but one of the 10 commissioners a failing grade.

A political action committee was formed out of that committee and passed the summer and fall interviewing candidates, collecting campaign contributions and contributing to candidates - mostly Republicans vying to join the all-Democrat commission.

The chamber's efforts were mostly unsuccessful, though the PAC's support of non-partisan commission elections paid off when voters agreed on Nov. 2 to change the system.

Non-partisan elections give members of the less powerful political party - in Athens-Clarke, that's the Republican Party - a better chance to elect a candidate who shares their ideas.

While some members have criticized the chamber's political activism, Trotochaud embraced it, serving on the committee that graded commissioners.

McKinney was out of town due to a family illness and could not be reached for comment.

Trotochaud's resignation comes the same week as the news that another economic development leader won't continue in his post.

Art Jackson, the eight-year head of the Athens Downtown Development Authority, confirmed this week that the board of directors of that economic-development group doesn't intend to renew his contract.